Hometown Heroes Parade Today

Anthony Sadler, left, U.S. National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, right, and U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, second from left, pose for photographers with Jane D. Hartley, U.S. Ambassador to France, in Paris, France, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015.

Francois Mori / AP

Sacramento is holding a Hometown Heroes Parade today for the three local men credited with stopping a terrorist attack last month on a train from Amsterdam to Paris.

Thousands of people are expected to show up for the parade honoring Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's Office helped organize the parade. Daniel Conway with the office says they decided to hold it today because of the limited time all three men will be in town together.

"When it worked out that Friday, September 11th was going to be the day to do it, we all kind of paused to recognize that this kind of obviously had some added significance to it,” says Conway. “And so we want to be really smart about finding the right way to, again, honor these guys and celebrate what they did. But at the same time remember the sacrifices that were made in 9/11."

Conway say the decision to hold the parade today - on the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks - was based on the limited time all three will be together in Sacramento.

"It's going to be fun,” says Conway. “I mean there's going to be a ton of confetti, we're going to have marching bands, you're going to see these guys on a float, you're going to see veterans groups, police, firefighters. I mean, it's going to, again, be a real celebration of kind of the people who protect us and keep us safe."

The parade starts today at noon. It'll begin at Capitol Mall and 4th Street and then proceed along the mall to the state Capitol building on 9th Street. That's where a rally will be held on the west steps of the Capitol.

Several parking restrictions and road closures will be in place to accommodate the parade.

Steve is the voice of Capital Public Radio News as anchor of Morning Edition and Insight. He covers stories on a wide range of topics including: business, education, real estate, agriculture and music. Steve also produced stories for CapRadio.org. Read Full Bio